Product Details

• Actors: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Neve Campbell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Affleck
• Directors: Nick Gomez
• Writers: Peter Steinfeld
• Producers: Danny DeVito, Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, Eugene Musso, Jonathan Weisgal
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: January 9, 2001
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 076785117X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,434 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Drowning Mona [VHS]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come on free spin!!!, March 26, 2006

By 

Chrissy K. McVay "Writer" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Drowning Mona (DVD)

I'm still laughing! Bette Midler is great as the bitchy Mona who drives everyone crazy, and due to the tampering on the breaks of a Yugo, finally drives herself into a river. A hilarious who-done-it with so many great parts, it's hard to think of which scene inspired more laughs. The choice of car (Yugo) was wonderful because many of my generation's movie viewers will find it funny that Mona got the engine started in the first place! This was a grand choice of 'graduation presents' purchased by parents, and those of us stuck with them knew that 'You go nowhere in a Yugo'... You know the town is off their rockers when most of the characters are driving this type of vehicle from h---- around.
Chrissy K. McVay - Author

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure fun, August 11, 2005

By 

Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Drowning Mona (DVD)

Do not watch "Drowning Mona" if you're expecting something as deep as an Ingmar Bergman flick. On the other hand, if you enjoy outrageously black comedy, sit back, turn up the volume a little higher than usual to catch some of the very witty one-liners and enjoy.

Bette Midler is a nightmare come true. A small-town shrew whom everyone hates. Thus it takes only a few scenes to set up the cheering section as she gets into her son's car, roars off down the road, hits the brakes to slow for a turn . . . and plunges over a cliff when the brakes fail. Not only does no one care about Mona's fate, but one of Police Chief Danny DeVito's cops says to forget about it when DeVito suggests an investigation.

The probable suspect is none other than Affleck, who is to become DeVito's son-in-law within a matter of days.

The movie now becomes Agatha Christie on steroids or worse as DeVito tries to find out who sabotaged Midler's brakes. No one is unhappy that Midler is gone. Not her son, not her husband, not her husband's lover, the town eccentric or anyone else. Mona was not well liked. Of course, just about everyone is a suspect.

Sure, the plot has as much thickness as a shirtboard. But the writing is witty and bright and the acting by DeVito, Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Affleck and everyone else is top-notch.

Pure and simple, this is a fun movie, a black comedy that never takes itself seriously, but is well directed and well measured. As one movie studio used to say "that's entertainment" and "Drowning Mona" most definitely is entertaining.

Jerry

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great acting and a near perfect story, May 29, 2003

By 

wellwellwell (bog) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drowning Mona [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It will go without saying five minutes into this movie that it is unlike any other movie you've seen. This sometimes dark, sometimes slapstick, sometimes subtle comedy boasts one of the most intriguing casts to date. There are a number of recognizable faces, Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis (to name a few), that brighten up the screen just that much. But to be honest, it was the roles played by Casey Affleck, Marcus Thomas, and William Fichtner especially that made `Drowning Mona' so enjoyable for me. The movie itself goes back and forth between present time and flashbacks containing moments of a living Mona Dearly, who dies rather abruptly at the very beginning of the film. I think too many people say the plot it predictable. I was more than entertained for the entire movie and I never actually KNEW who actually killed Mona. Sure I had my predictions, and who doesn't. The point is that the movie's very funny and actually quite smart.

Once we see Mona Dearly fly over a cliff in a car, the sense of craziness sets in. Your basic human instincts will at first allow you to feel bad for Mona (I hope). But once you see every person in town partying and laughing over her "timely" death, you can't help but play along. The part where Jeff, Mona's son played by Marcus Thomas, asks the police why Mona was driving his car while popping open a beer is absolutely priceless! The main characters in the film are Bobby Calzone (Casey Affleck) and Chief Rash (DeVito). Chief Rash is the only person in town who cares about Mona's death. Well, maybe it's more that it's his job than he really cares. Heck, even his co-workers could care less. Bobby also (kind of) feels sorry for Mona, but is allowed to laugh and enjoy the situation thanks to his fiancé Ellen (Neve Campbell). So for most of the movie, Rash just drives around in his Geo--take note of the opening disclaimer--and asks townies questions about what kind of person Mona truly was. The responses are all hilarious. I could go into great detail with almost 50 different quotes or scenes that back up the fact that Mona Dearly was a horrible person who deserved to die. But I just don't have the time. You really have to hear/see them to believe it. As I hinted to, William Fichtner's performance as Phil Dearly is hands down the best. He plays the ill-fated-but-happily-sorrowing-over-the-worst-person-he'd-ever-met husband. He is a very suspicious character, and seems to know something that no one else does. He puts the blame on Bobby Calzone, who is one of the most harmless people you could ever meet. What makes this particularly interesting is that Bobby is the future son-in-law of Chief Rash. So that is very hard for Rash, and us, the viewer, to believe. `Drowning Mona' is pretty much a "whodunit" movie with a twist that makes you laugh and think at the same time. I guess I can't rebuff the fact that the storyline becomes predictable over time. And that's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. But you'll still be impressed with the shifts between past and present and definitely the comedy. There's also an excellent cameo from former SNL star Will Ferrell. I won't spoil the rest.

If you enjoy Danny DeVito's work and/or a good comedy with bizarre twists, then you will love `Drowning Mona'. The acting by everyone is unquestionably flawless; and the only thing that doesn't excite is its ill-timed predictability. Once more, take special note of William Fichtner and Marcus Thomas. Being that they are the "family members" makes it just that much funnier. There's really no other movies available that are comparable to this one. And that's certainly a good thing for some. But if you dwell in straightforwardness and don't appreciate the idea of thinking, you might not enjoy this one. It's crazy, it's hilarious, it's silly, it's well thought-out, but most importantly it's time well spent. I highly recommend this to anyone who'd enjoy an innovative comedy or likes any of the actors or actresses in the cast list. Don't overlook this one.